Palawan stink badger
The Palawan - Stinkdachs ( Mydaus marchei ) is a species of canids of the genus Stinkdachse. It is endemic to the Philippines belonging to the island of Palawan.
Features
The Palawan - Stinkdachs reaches a head-body length of 32-46 cm and a tail length of 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters. The weight is about 2.5 kg. It is slightly smaller than the Sunda Stinkdachs ( Mydaus javanensis ) of the Indonesian islands. The hair on the back is dark brown to black with a single light hair without continuous backing strip. The snout is elongated trunk-like and resembles the snout of a pig.
Dissemination
The distribution area of Palawan Stinkdachses is limited to the Philippine island of Palawan and the Calamian Islands. The species is detected on the main island of Palawan on Busuanga and Calauit and while they are not found in the smaller, outlying islands such as Rasa and Malinau and on Dumaran. The presence on the island lloc other hand, is uncertain.
System
The Palawan - Stinkdachs is one of two types of Stinkdachse ( Mydaus ) within the Skunks ( Mephitidae ). The first scientific description was made by Joseph Huet in 1837. Species was temporarily classified due to anatomical features in its own monotypic genus Suillotaxus.
It is believed that the ancestors of this type were separated from the living on Borneo population of the Sunda Stinkdachses by the rising sea level about 165,000 years ago, fossils, however, are not detected.
Threats and conservation
The Palawan - Stinkdachs is from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) classified as not at risk ( least concern ). This is due mainly to the large population adopted, the insensitivity to habitat changes and human settlement, and the deposits in several protected areas.